Friday, March 31, 2017

The day started with excitement. I was on a high giving a speech in front of one of the walls in my house. I was preparing for my Area Contest speech in Toastmasters. I was all set. Well prepared. Timed the clock. The speech fell within the right timeframe. Everything was great.

I got ready with my family. We popped in the car and drove to the place. I arrived earlier than the usual time.

Butterflies were flying from top to bottom and realized I had to align myself for a speech delivery. I rehearsed in the stage once and understood that I was thorough with my words and speech. I was all set.

The Contest began. I picked one from the lot box and found to be the third contestant. I had a gulp of water, soothed my throat and was ready. My name called, I entered the stage and started speaking to the fullest tone. Afffff! I did it.

Rest of the Contestants also spoke well. It was a tough fight. After all the speeches, we were waiting for the results. I had the expectation to win the contest. Finally, the time came to declare the results. I was waiting for my name to pronounce in the top 3 list. Obviously, all the other contestants also would have thought the same. I was disappointed when my name was not there in the top 3 winners. Everyone came and congratulated me for the performance. But I couldn't digest the fact that I didn't win.

I stood there thinking myself foolish. I couldn't handle the fact that I lost. Failure haunted me. I decided I should not be contesting anymore. All the negative thoughts came and occupied me in the first sense. After a lengthy discussion with my friends, I came back home. After coming back home, I sat with myself and analyzed the reasons.

There was a video from a friend explaining the rise of KFC founder Harland Sanders at the age of 65 years and the video end with the lines, "It's never too old to dream". I sat for a while thinking about the same. After seeing a great story, my story looked minuscule in size. I was thinking that I was the only loser on the planet.

What am I going to get if I worry about the lost prize for a long time? But, If I can get up and do my work which is left behind I can at least step forward. That moment I realized, failure doesn't mean, the world has come to an end and locked the door permanently. That is a phase in life, and that is not the end of life. In the moment of failure, think about all that you succeeded in life. Then the thought of failure will be gone.

As parents, our responsibility is not only making our children succeed in life but also help them understand that failure is not that bad as the world perceives every time. If Harland sanders have stopped trying after his first failure, KFC would not have born. Every failure is a stepping stone for success. When we fail, all we need to do is what is my learning from the failure and move on. Don't sit and stare the same for a long time. Some things did not work out for the right reason and when you deserve the same, success will knock your door. Until then, keep working hard and dream.

Friday, March 24, 2017

It happened before a week. The week started on a high note. I had to go as a speaker in one of the prominent MNC where I started my career. I was thrilled. I was waiting for the opportunity to unfold in my life. I immediately said Yes and acknowledged the request. There was another prominent MNC which I promised to be there for the Women's day program. Both programs collided on the same date.

As planned, I completed one in the morning and heading back to home. While on the way, I received a phone call from my sister that my mother was not keeping well and she has to be taken to the hospital immediately. I was stuck for a moment. On the same evening, I had prepared to speak about the importance of women. Halfway, I was confused. What should I speak for Women's day program when my mother is sick and the fact that I was not taking care of her at that moment. I quit my thought process and called the program coordinator. I explained my situation and asked for any alternate arrangement. She stated that since there is one more speaker other than me, they can conduct the meeting with no chaos. I calmed down.

I never failed in my commitment to programs. It was the first time I said an excuse after committing the same. If I would have gone to the program, do you think I would have done justice to the session? Definitely No! Instead, I took a standpoint and went ahead to home. I got ready, rushed to my sister's home and took my mother to the hospital. I felt relieved. Even though I felt guilty for not presenting myself for the commitment, I was happy doing what was just for the moment. I realized right things at the right moment can bring a lot more value-add to our life and we need to be accountable for who we are at the end of the day.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

One of the days, while I was writing my musings, a phone call came. I took the call curiously as it was from an unknown number. It was my friend calling from an alternate number. She immediately asked me, "I saw your blog. You are writing consistently every week. How is this possible. You have a family, home and children to take care. I am wondering how do you find time to do all these"? I told her, "Yes dear, I understand, everything requires a lot of thinking and consumes time. But for the past few years, I am following a routine consistently. That is I don't have a TV connection at home". She panicked and asked, " What? You don't have a TV at home?'. I said, "I have a TV, but with no connection". Nobody watches TV at my home. This saves my time a little from distraction. She couldn't believe the fact that I am not using TV.

She disconnected the phone after talking for few hours. I was introspecting the amount of free time we get when we don't spend hours in front of an idiot box. Not only TV but even using any social media sites as well. I could see children sitting in front of the magic charm for hours and hours and lose their thinking ability. When your TV is OFF, you talk with the real person in the living room. It is sick to see people glued to the screen and talking to people. This attitude will not help to build relationships but will destroy the human emotions. I understand we can't stop disconnecting TV immediately, however, we can reduce the non-mindful hours. If you are spending 2 hours a day watching TV, probably that can be reduced to 1 hour and henceforth. Keep a chart and track use of your limits a day. Eventually, you will reach the goal of non-mindful hours.